To BIM Or Not To BIM

An AIA Europe Section Event held at The ANCB Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory in Berlin, Germany, September 2, 2016.

In addition to its international conference series, AIA Europe hosts regional 'section events' for members to exchange with their local professional communities. This lecture and podium discussion event was organized by AIA Europe Germany Section Director, Gabriela Liebert, The ANCBAedes Metropolitan Laboratory, and the event sponsor Glomm Logistik.

BACKGROUNDDesign, planning and building processes enable the emergence of something new, while the number of actors rises through increasing complexity, new requirements, digital developments, economic pressure and tight deadlines. High quality projects have to be built with maximum efficiency, minimum waste and at record times, even if decisions are made by teams collaborating around the globe in real time. Interdisciplinary interfaces have to be defined, negotiated and communicated to optimize knowledge and understanding as a basis for collaborative design. For these tasks BIM (Building Information Modeling) was developed and has become an increasingly definitive tool for architects worldwide. From this background, complex questions arise that are relevant for planning, construction, society and politics.

Three lectures given by Prof. Hector Camps (Miami, USA), Boris Bähre (Groningen, Germany) and Gonzalo Portabella (Berlin, Germany)address the following questions: Is the use of technology more important than ever and can it prevent failures, cost explosion or quarrels at an early stage? Can technology empower us if we commit to it, or could it jeopardize the innovativeness of the design process? TO BIM OR NOT TO BIM, that is the question. Watch the full videos of the lectures and podium discussion below.

LecturesProf. Hector Camps, Founder and CEO, PHI Cubed, Miami: BIM in the Age of Global CollaborationToday, the building industry is globalizing. With projects located anywhere in the world, and design teams from different geographical locations, how will we leverage technology to work together more effectively? The presentation will focus on one firm's journey into BIM with multinational collaboration, showcasing Miami's Brickell City Centre project and its signature architectural piece, Climate Ribbon.

Boris Bähre, Architect, BE# Architecture, BIM, Computational Design, Groningen: BIM BAAM BOOM or why shouldn't we talk about software...Architects are not 'Baumeisters' anymore and will probably never be again. The building industry is becoming more and more complex and specialised. As a result, most building-related professions need to team up and learn how to transfer the right information at the right time to the right place. Apart from all the technology, BIM offers a path towards an integrative approach. That means that we have to take process, policy and, of course, people into equal consideration. All glued together by one thing - communication.

Gonzalo Portabella, Co-founder, morean - digital realities, Berlin: To BIM or not to BIM - BIM sexed up!When merging BIM and Virtual Reality, a question arises: how can we translate this huge amount of information into something visually appealing and easy to understand? The combination of a good visual concept and flexibility in the development process is crucial. A good conceptual strategy can assure that the essence of each space is transmitted adequately, and a comprehensive integration within the visualization workflow enables the necessary flexibility of the design process.

Q&A with the Audience

For more details about the event and the ANCB The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory, click here.